The idea of belonging to a society and adhering to its rules in order to reap
the benefits of being a citizen.

A man must be accountable for his own actions, for if he is not, is he a man
at all? When actions are considered in the context of others, men begin along
the path of citizenship. With the status of citizen there are
responsibilities that are inherent in this position. In order to gain the
advantages and privileges of being a citizen, a man must adhere to the rules
laid out by those that have made him this.

The idea of citizenship hails from Classical antiquity, and in particular the
study of Roman authors and their views upon Roman Republic politics. Certain
members of society were given "citizenship", in effect creating a ruling
class with greater political and social rights than their fellow nationals.
Slaves and foreigners were not to be given political rights, and any social
rights they had were limited at best. This "Roman" idea of citizenship
did not imply any move to democracy of any kind, but it did imply a
commonality of interests among the citizenry.